Marriage to a Difficult Man: The "Uncommon Union" of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards,

This is a helpful book for all those who admire Jonathan Edwards. While Dodds is not totally accurate in her assesment of Jonathan and Sarah, this is a great book. This book will help you see that Jonathan was not just a pastor and theologian. He was also a husband and father. Endorsements include the Pipers, Mark Dever, Lig Duncan, Donald Whitney, and others.

I discovered Marriage to a Difficult Man by Elisabeth D. Dodds by accident. I was visiting a provincial Argentine town, and stumbled upon a shelf of books in the house of a friend. Caught by the title I picked up the book to show to my wife, suggesting that she may want to get it for me for Christmas. For some reason I began reading it, and am glad I did. The story of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards is inseparable from Western Massachusetts. I spent a few years there and knew many of the places well. Northampton, Deerfield, Hatfield, Greenfield, etc. were all part of my travels. It impacted me how the area had changed from the 1740s. The mighty Connecticut River is no longer a travel route; it has given way to Interstate 91. Historic Deerfield still shows how colonial New England lived, and the mass grave nearby shows the reality of Indian massacres. Yet this trip to the past ends where main street does; the driver is met with a modern, though still rural, lifestyle as he drives out onto route 5 and 10. Today many don't realize that the roadside historic markers about the long forgotten King Philip reflect a time when colonists feared for their very survival. The various towns mentioned in the book dot the Pioneer Valley, or America's "First Frontier", where the colonists moved to after settling Boston. It was America's outpost. Now, interestingly enough, Edward's Northampton has become a center for homosexual and lesbian activity, leading one wit to say that the First Frontier is now the Phallic Frontier.... Dodds writes with a novelist's skill in bringing to life the human side of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards. The title is weak as we don't just focus on Sarah, but on her husband, the culture of the times, their children, and the fruits of their life together. The subtitle "The "Uncommon Union of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards" suits the book better. While Edward's weaknesses are probably softened by the writer's affection, her use of primary sources clearly shows that Sarah was a rare, gifted woman, as the book describes. The author's use of the famous study on the offspring of Jukes and Edwards (an online search will explain this to the interested reader) makes Sarah and her husband shine even more. A brief glance at the sources used shows a writer who has entered a time long since past, and has returned bringing it to life. She mentions in the preface that she "contended" with the material; I take that to mean that she spent 10 years lingering in this world, reading all she could, making trips to New England, and then lingered over language to bring it all alive again. She succeeds. While the book is not that common, you probably won't need to meander through the interior of Argentina to find a copy. If you come upon one, I recommend getting it. Why? Because if you love history the book is well worth its price. And if you believe, or want to believe, that two people can make a difference in the world, it will give you hope.

Jonathan Edwards was "difficult" only because he was so single minded in his calling to be a preacher. Sarah Edwards was "uncommon" because to support him in his calling she took over the running of their home, their farm and the raising of their ten happy healthy children. Their union was tender and loving through good times and very bad times (for some years this founder of the first American Revival preached to Indians who didn't even understand him). I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a well researched, very readable history of Colonial times, Early American faith, or a beautiful and inspiring marriage.